Putin surprises Abe with proposal to seal peace treaty by year-end

Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday by proposing that their countries conclude a post-World War II peace treaty "without any preconditions" by the end of the year.The abrupt proposal would effectively mean shelving bilateral negotiations over the sovereignty of Russia-held, Japan-claimed islands, contrary to Tokyo's position that a peace treaty should come after the settlement of the territorial issue."An idea has just come to my mind," Putin said at a regional economic forum in Vladivostok, which was also attended by Abe. "Let's conclu…READ FULL ARTICLE